Regulatory Reform - an update John Skerritt Deputy Secretary for Health Products Regulation, Commonwealth Department of Health ASMI Annual Conference 27 October 2016
This presentation • New Health Products Regulation Group • Business as usual - performance statistics for 2015/16 • TGA stakeholder survey • Medicine labelling changes • Medicines and Medical Devices Regulation Review • Next steps 2
Health Products Regulation Group structure Department of Health Secretary Principal Medical Adviser Health Products Regulation Group Principal Legal and Policy Deputy Secretary Adviser Regulatory Medicines Medical Devices Regulatory Practice Office of Drug Reforms Regulation and Product Quality and Support Control Prescription Medicines Regulatory Services and Medical Devices Medicinal Cannabis Authorisation Improvement Complementary and Drug Control Laboratories OTC Medicines Regulatory Practice, Education and Pharmacovigilance and Compliance Manufacturing Quality Special Access Regulatory Engagement Scientific Evaluation and Planning 3
Complementary medicine business reforms • Electronic applications system for registered complementary medicines • Five registered complementary medicine categories based on availability of quality, safety and efficacy data • Single legislative source of information for about 5000 permitted ingredients • Updated evidence guidelines for listed complementary medicines • Strong international cooperation on CM ingredient safety (Sin/Can/Switz) – Common assessment template and approach to ADI calculations and minimum data requirements – Move to a common evaluation process, but individual regulators will make sovereign decisions to approve or reject applications 4
2015-16 TGA Performance statistics: complementary medicines 2014-15 2015-16 New listed medicines 1879 1644 New listed medicine ingredients approved 5 18 New registered medicines approved 4 2 Registered medicines variations approved 28 27 5
Compliance problems: complementary medicines • The number of compliance reviews more than doubled , based on: – complaints and referrals from internal and external stakeholders – screening of recently-listed medicines – assessment of some products that are not listed on the ARTG • 80% of medicines had compliance breaches in 2015-16 (vs 73% for 2014-15) – Labelling, advertising and evidence are still the major compliance breaches – 3 products were found to have ingredient safety related issues in 2015-16 • Information of each product is that cancelled published at www.tga.gov.au/complementary-medicines-cancellations-artg 6
Outcomes of completed reviews 7
Actions taken following listed medicine reviews Actions following a Request for Information Medicines found to be compliant 81 Proposal to cancel notice sent by TGA 327 Total 408 Actions following a Proposal to Cancel notice (327 medicines total) Medicines cancelled by TGA 44 Medicines cancelled by sponsors 76 Compliance breaches were addressed 207 8
OTC medicine approvals 2015-16 vs 2014-15 • The number of new OTC Number Target time % within Application type Median completed (days) target applications was lower due to fewer low risk (N1) New medicines applications N1 79 14 45 100 N2 3 26 55 100 • Approval times for most N3 25 90 150 100 application types consistent N4 50 89 170 100 • Significant increase in N5 6 151 210 83 approval times for N3 (‘generic’ medicine) and C4 Change applications C1 618 5 20 97 (non-quality change) C2 309 8 64 99 applications, due to C3 4 31 120 100 application complexity C4 12 110 170 100 9
Medicines labels – why change ? • Label requirements had not been updated for over 15 years and are not aligned with international practices • Current labelling can lead to poor medicines use/safety concerns: – Lack of awareness of the active ingredients, possibility of accidental overdose when taking multiple medicines as well as dispensing errors – Poor readability of medicine labels – Difficulties in following directions for use or identifying advisory statements – Potential for use of the wrong medicine - similarities in medicine branding • Four year transition period from 31 Aug 2016 , minimising cost to industry, aligning with ingredient name changes and rolling out education programs 10
Main changes for OTC medicines include: • Larger text size for names and quantities of active ingredients in registered medicines • A minimum text size of 3.0 mm (smaller font sizes for medicines with >4 active ingredients, medium (25-60 mL) and small (<25 mL) containers • The name of the medicine must be in a continuous uninterrupted manner • Information required to be on a label must be in colours that contrast strongly with the background (batch number and expiry date can be embossed) 11
Main changes for OTC medicines include: • The number of substances such as allergens that must be declared has increased (e.g. to include crustacea, fish, egg, soya, milk, tree nuts) • Most registered OTC medicines will require a table on their packaging that provides critical health information in a consistent manner • permit the use of an active moiety only when the full approved name is included in the ‘critical health information’ table • Sponsors can use either the ‘old’ or ‘new’ rules until 31 Aug 2020 12
TGA stakeholder survey 2016 • A requirement for the Government’s Regulator Performance Framework • 2810 responses: 449 health professionals, 65 consumers, 1628 from industry • Results remarkably positive in terms of trust and confidence in the regulator – 79% of industry have high/very high confidence in TGA safeguards – 61% of community/ consumer groups with 27 % ambivalent/ unsure • Users satisfied or very satisfied with TGA consultations (63%), exhibitions (75%) and information sessions (82%) respectively. • Main area for work is to TGA to engage more actively with consumers – They are aware of, and have a generally favourable perception of the TGA, but many unsure – Consumers also felt least engaged in TGA policy consultations 13
14
15
Review of Medicines & Medical Devices Regulation • Expert Panel commenced late 2014 after most of 2014 in pre-work • Review process included discussion papers, submissions and interviews by the panel • Two reports on medicines and devices and complementary medicines and advertising released during 2015 with 58 recommendations • Following release of the reports, workshops held with key stakeholders by the Department to get feedback on recommendations • Minister Ley took preferred position to Cabinet • Government response was publicly released on 15 September 2016 16
Key principles endorsed by Government • The Australian Government retain responsibility for approval of therapeutic goods rather than automatically accepting international approvals, but TGA needs to: − make greater use of overseas evaluations − introduce greater flexibility in approval pathways for both medicines and medical devices − more appropriately align level regulation with the actual risk posed by certain types of products • The review did not cover cell, tissue and blood regulation, clinical trials nor aspects of TGA’s governance or structure 17
Seven bundles of work agreed and costed 1. Increasing Flexibility for Registration and Post-Market Processes for Medicines 2. Increasing Flexibility for Approval and Enhanced Post-Market Monitoring of Medical Devices 3. Increasing Flexibility for Pre-Market Approval and Increased Evidence of Efficacy of Complementary Medicines for Consumers 4. Simplified and More Effective Regulation of Advertising 5. Streamlined Regulation of Patient Access to Therapeutic Products 6. Further Reviews 7. Rationalisation of TGA Statutory Advisory Committees 18
Complementary medicines changes 1. Streamline transparency and predictability of regulation : • Better regulatory guidance materials • Catalogue of approved ingredients • Introduce permitted indications for Complementary Medicines • Adopt/ develop evidence monographs • Right of review for applicant of TGA decisions on ingredients • Establish ingredient assessment timeframes • Continue stakeholder input through an advisory committee 19
Complementary medicines changes 2. Increasing the transparency of evidence of efficacy for particular indications • Sponsors encouraged but not mandated to publish efficacy evidence • Greater education on what AUST-L means, but sponsors not required to publish a label disclaimer • A new class of complementary medicines with efficacy assessed by TGA prior to market authorisation. Sponsors allowed to make higher-level claims than listed CMs. • Closer linkage to advertising claims 3. More use of overseas assessments for new ingredients 20
Recommend
More recommend
